The survey was discussed during the Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District Board meeting Wednesday. The two-page survey asks customers questions pertaining to their weekly EZ Rider usage, reasons for using the bus, overall satisfaction and improvements that could be made.

"We understand the improvements we have to make," said Rob Stephens, general manager of EZ Rider. "We just want to verify those improvements with the public."

One of the two service problems Stephens said he is aware of is on-time performance. The other one is heavy traffic congestion on Midland Route 5.

Midland Route 5 runs on major roads throughout the day including Big Spring Street, Wadley Avenue, Neely Avenue and Loop 250. Stephens said there is a lot of school traffic on Neely Avenue, which contributes to the congestion.

Stephens said a plan is already in the works to alleviate the problem. The plan will involve sharing the responsibilities of Route 5 with Route 4, but it is not finalized.

"We can't have better service by doing easy and fast fixes," Stephens said. "The survey will provide in-depth information for making good changes."

The surveys also will be available at the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission building Suite 100 and on the EZ Rider website in about two weeks.

Other Urban Transit district board news

The board approved a decision to exchange a debt owed from advertising space rent for free advertising inside a music festival's program brochure and quarterly magazines.

The exchange was proposed by John James, member of the board's marketing committee and Midland City Council member.

James said organizers for the Tall City Blues Fest owed $1,000 for renting advertising space that wraps around an EZ Rider bus. James then said there were three solutions: waive the debt, send the group to collections or make the ad exchange.

"The promoters have lost money for two years in a row," James said.

Some board members were concerned that the advertisements EZ Rider would receive would not provide additional revenue. Five members voted for the exchange, three voted against and one abstained.

After the meeting, Michael Trost, district board member who is also a Midland City Council member, said this was a legitimate way to handle the debt.

"Its not an uncommon practice," Trost said. "It happens to fledgling groups so it is OK on both sides. We're still promoting and they're still promoting."